St. Jude Medical launches technology to treat heart failure in India

The Unify Quadra CRT-D works with the company’s Quartet left ventricular pacing lead to offer a smaller quadripolar pacing system that helps physicians effectively and efficiently manage the changing pacing needs of patients

Bangalore: St. Jude Medical, a global medical device company, has launched its Unify Quadra cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) in india. The Unify Quadra CRT-D works with the company's Quartet left ventricular pacing lead to offer a smaller quadripolar pacing system that helps physicians effectively and efficiently manage the changing pacing needs of patients with heart failure.

Heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's demands. It results in the build-up of fluids throughout the body, which can lead to shortness of breath, swelling, and heart rhythm abnormalities. The Unify Quadra CRT-D system was designed to help the heart perform in its most natural state by synchronizing the left and right ventricles of the heart through timed electrical pulses. The company recently launched the product in Japan.

St Jude Medical first introduced quadripolar technology to India in 2011 with the launch of the Promote Quadra CRT-D, and remains the only company offering quadripolar technology anywhere in the world.

Commenting on the technology, Dr Aftab Ashrafuddin Khan, senior interventional cardiologist and director of Electrophysiology Services ay Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals in Kolkata, said, "With the Unify Quadra technology, I have more pacing options available than conventional CRT therapy, and also with a smaller device. This provides multiple benefits; first it improves the probability that a patient will respond well to the therapy, and second it helps patients avoid common complications by allowing for any adjustments of the leads without surgical revision."

Due to differences in individual patient anatomy, or results that can't be seen until the procedure is complete, complications can arise after placing the lead of a CRT device. One example of a pacing complication is a high pacing threshold. Patients, who already have scar tissue formed in the heart, possibly as a result of a previous heart attack, may require additional energy from their CRT device, which can wear out the battery more quickly. Another complication that can result is the unintentional stimulation of the diaphragm from pacing the phrenic nerve, which results in hiccup-like symptoms. The Quartet lead's four electrodes can help avoid these complications by providing physicians more options to choose alternative pacing sites without having to relocate the lead either during or with a second surgery.

"The launch of the Unify Quadra reflects St. Jude Medical's ongoing commitment to launching our most innovative technologies in India," said Mr Kaustav Banerjee, managing director of St. Jude Medical India. "Based on positive implant experiences with both Promote and Unify Quadra technologies and published research we believe that this innovative CRT system is making a difference in the lives of patients with heart failure."